Phillis's Big Test (2008)

review 1: Date: October 14th, 2014Author: Catherine Clinton; Illustrated by Sean QuallsTitle: Phillis's Big TestPlot: Catherine Clinton's picture-book tells the story of Phillis Wheatley, the first African American to publish a book of poetry. Setting: 1772 - 1773; Boston MassachusettsCharacters: Phillis Wheatley, John Wheatley, Susanna Wheatley, Nathaniel and Mary WheatleyPoint-of-Views: Third-PersonTheme: Ownership Style: Narrative, Informational Copyright: 2008Notes: I have never read or heard about Phillis Wheatley's story before, but I found it to be rather informing, and fascinating. To think of what Phillis Wheatley had to deal with during her lifetime to have to prove that she was talented and that her words were not plagiarized. This book would be for students who love his... moretory or who love poetry. I could present this book both during Black History Month or Poetry Month. I would recommend this book to any student, but especially to my African-American students to learn about how African-Americans have made impact during difficult times and hardships throughout history.review 2: I'm giving this a 3 overall, because I didn't like the illustrations, but a 4 for text, which was interesting. This book is about the time leading up to slave-poet Phillis Wheatley's examination by a group of men to determine if she, a black woman, could really have written the poems she claimed were hers. The pictures were lifeless and inadequate to illustrate the text. A disappointment, but still useful for the information about her life. Pair it with Kathryn Lasky's A Voice of Her Own: the Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet. less